NCAAF Picks

College Football Picks: Mack & Adams to Lead South Florida to an ATS Cover vs. SMU

For the South Florida Bulls (3-3, 1-1) to make a legitimate bowl game this is a "must win" situation as they're facing the bottom of the barrel in the SMU Mustangs (1-5, 0-2), who have managed just 1 win on the season. See who we like as our college football pick in this matchup.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, October 24th at 4:00 p.m. EST at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. According to 5Dimes, the Bulls are a 13-point betting favorite and the total for the game is listed at 58.5 points on the college football odds board. This total appears low as SMU has no defense so to speak of. The "Stangs" allow an eye-popping 45.2 points per game and also average 570.7 yards per game. Will the offense of SMU shock South Florida as I think the betting line is a tad low at 13? The days of "Pony Express" are long gone for the Mustangs and this game appears to be an easy victory for South Florida in their backyard.

Matador Defense
In their last 3 games alone, the SMU defense has allowed a whopping 146 points. This should be interesting as South Florida isn't an overwhelming team offensively. The SMU offense will be a major focus in this game.

Double Threat QB
Matt Davis could pose a problem for the Mustangs as he can throw the football and also run with it. For the season, Davis has been very efficient, passing the ball for 1430 yards along with 11 TD and 2 INT.

Davis is certainly not the problem on this team as he also has 426 yards and 7 TD's to his credit. SMU contains a well balanced offense as Davis will be looking for his favorite target, wide receiver, Courtland Sutton. For the season, Sutton has 498 yards receiving to go along with 6 TD's. Sutton likes the deep ball as he attempts to outrun the defensive backs.

Along with Davis, freshman Xavier Jones provides Matt Davis some relief where the rushing game is concern. As I've stated, everything rests on the defense as they are the liability of this football team.

Taking Care of Business
South Florida has faced a tough top 25 opponent in Florida State and have won their last 2 games against UConn and Syracuse. This is a game that they should and have to win. The objective is to stop Matt Davis and provide a sufficient amount of offense to take control of the game.

Mack & Adams
Although they sound more like the name of a construction company, this duo has helped South Florida get back into the bowl picture as each player leads their position respectively.

Running back, Marlon Mack and wide receiver Rodney Adams are coming off of huge performances against Connecticut in a 28-20 South Florida victory.

Mack is the player that the Bulls can rely on as he rushed for 1000 yards in his freshman season and he's well on his way to another 1000 yard season rushing. I don't think that SMU's defense will have a prayer against this stud. He's a consistent bruiser and and that's the type of player that will wear an opponent down.

As for Rodney Adams, he hasn't had a big season, but is coming off of a huge week in the victory over UConn. Adams scored on 3 separate occasions to go along with 118 yards receiving. Could this be the start of something special for Adams. That remains to be seen, but SMU has the perfect defense for Adams to take advantage of. This game looks like a clear-cut advantage in favor of South Florida, so back them with your college football picks. They're at home, the hungrier team and can stop an opposing offense.